15 Years of Predators Hockey: Scott Walker

The Predators celebrate 15 years of hockey during the 2013-14 season. Having played in the early years (2001-2003), an anniversary like that gives you cause to reflect. The one thing about this game though; it’s not so much the game itself as it is the guys you play with that sticks with you.

So, in this series, I am highlighting a few of the Predators I played with. They are chosen not so much for their abilities on the ice as they are for their personality off it. Not so much for their character but more for the fact that they were characters. See the difference?

Scott Walker. “Walks” was a beauty. At least once a week, Bill Houlder and I would have a conversation where one of us was saying “you won’t believe what he just did.”

Walker and I were both out of the lineup with concussions in January of 2002. So when the team was out of town he and I would hang out. One night I had him over for dinner and we decided to take in a movie after. We took two cars from my place because we would go separate directions after the movie was over. Him to his house and me to mine.

Driving to the theater from my place, I took the back roads through Williamson County. He’d never been this route before but it was no big deal because he was following me in his vehicle.

We see our movie at Green Hills Mall. And as we get to the theater parking lot, I say goodnight. Scott responds “well, where you goin’?’” I said “it’s 11:30, I’m going home.”

Walker says “well, that’s just great, but how do I get home?” “Walks” I said, “you’ve been to this theater dozens of times. Just drive home.”

“But I don’t know that way we came” replies Walker. I said “Scott, you know where we are right?” “Yes,” he says. “You know where your house is right?” “Well, yeah but….” “Well, just drive from here to your house like you would normally. You don’t need to drive the route we took to get here.”